Written By kolimtiga on Minggu, 31 Agustus 2014 | 12.56

The swatch of cardinal flew down the sidelines, arms pumping, feet skipping, play card flapping.

In Saturday's brilliant homecoming parade, Steve Sarkisian was the prettiest of floats.

He hugged helmets, smacked shoulder pads, leaped into the thick air, crouched on the warm grass, fittingly rollicked along the Coliseum sidelines Saturday as if it were the backyard of his youth.

His USC players? They were the parade's high-stepping band, new and shiny, twirling and trilling, entertaining and, oh yeah, resounding in victory.

USC 52, Fresno State 13.... Sark-nado 3?

"It's great to be back, great to be home, great to be a Trojan, fight on," Sarkisian said afterward, bathed in sweat and hugs after the most lopsided Trojans coaching debut since Howard Jones beat Whittier, 74-0, in 1925.

The last few controversy-filled days were endless, but his debut was breathless. The questions were suffocating, but his answers were scintillating.

Sarkisian promised tough, and, goodness, the Trojans defense was battering tough, creating four turnovers and holding the Bulldogs to 317 total yards.

Sarkisian also promised fun, and the entire evening was a blast, Trojans sprinting down sidelines, diving across the middle, flying into backfields and freshman tight end Bryce Dixon even leaping over an end zone barrier after catching a 22-yard touchdown pass.

"It's a new beginning for all of us," said freshman guard Viane Talamaivao.

Nobody partied harder than Sarkisian, whose sideline emotions peaked in the third quarter when he actually bumped chests with quarterback Cody Kessler, who perfectly fit the new offense with 394 yards passing, four touchdowns and zero interceptions.

The players loved the emotion that has been missing from this program since Pete Carroll left town five years ago, even joking afterward about Sarkisian's young legs and endless energy.

They also loved the inclusion that led to eight different players carrying the ball and 10 different players catching the ball, and touchdowns by freshman Adoree Jackson and Dixon. It turns out, Sarkisian not only brought in a new offense, but unearthed a bunch of buried talent.

"Real recognizes real," said Talamaivao. "Players can tell which people are real, and Sark is real."

It was a game filled not only with a sense of renewal, but also relief, a party at the end of a week that felt like a wake.

The problems began Tuesday with the news that Sarkisian had been snookered by one of his captains and most trusted players.

Make no mistake, it was Sarkisian who bears the ultimate responsibility of USC believing and releasing Josh Shaw's story that he had injured his ankles jumping off a balcony in an attempt to save his 7-year-old nephew from drowning.

No sooner was Shaw suspended for the lie — the real story was that he jumped off an apartment balcony for reasons still unknown — then Sarkisian came under fire again when former Trojan Anthony Brown accused him of being a racist.

Those who have played for Sarkisian during his 15-year coaching career immediately exposed those accusations as absurd, but Sarkisian nonetheless bore the weight of their stress.

"I maybe brought it up to them twice all week," Sarkisian said of the distractions. "I wasn't going to let an external factor motivate us or not motivate us, it never will. We found out a lot about this team. We dealt with the week like professionals."

All of which led Sarkisian into the searing heat Saturday afternoon on sort of a homecoming mission, returning after a six-year absence to show fans the former offensive coordinator was the head coach who stalks the sidelines with his head up, his body language strong, his presence huge. Sure, he could have successfully followed Lane Kiffin by simply keeping air in the football, but still….

"Good to get a win, good to be home. I'm going to go to the band, guys, sorry," he said immediately, ending an on-field interview by running with his players over to the Coliseum corner to be serenaded by the Trojans marching band.

On the way, he jumped on the back of safety Su'a Cravens. Once there, he remained in the middle of the pack of players, pumping his arm with two fingers outstretched like everyone else, just another Trojan.

When the band finished, Sark walked over to a pack of Torrance neighbors and friends, hugging everyone as if they were meeting at a barbecue.

Then, finally, he met his family, hugging and posing for photos with his three children, kissing his wife, and then putting his arm around his 9-year-old son, Brady, and walking with the boy back to the locker room.

"Sark ... Sark ... Sark!" chanted fans.

Next week these new Trojans will face their first real test at Stanford, but Steve Sarkisian didn't seem to be thinking about that as he and Brady headed into the tunnel, heading for home.

Outstanding performances by USC freshmen abounded in the 52-13 season-opening victory over Fresno State on Saturday at the Coliseum.

Receiver JuJu Smith and offensive linemen Toa Lobendahn and Damien Mama started for the Trojans and receiver/cornerback Adoree' Jackson and tight end Bryce Dixon also played large roles.

Smith caught four passes for 123 yards.

Lobendahn and Mama started at left and right guard, respectively. It marked the first time two freshmen offensive linemen started an opener for the Trojans.

Lobendahn, Mama and Viane Talamaivao were among the linemen that helped the Trojans rush for 277 yards, including 133 by junior tailback Javorius Allen.

Jackson caught three passes, including an 18-yard touchdown. He also broke up a pass and a returned a punt 10 yards. Dixon caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Cody Kessler in the third quarter.

Agholor starts fast

USC receiver Nelson Agholor showed why he is regarded as Kessler's top target.

The junior from Florida caught two touchdown passes and finished with five receptions for 57 yards.

Agholor scored on 10- and five-yard passes in the first quarter.

He returned three kickoffs for 43 yards.

Bowman steps up

Senior safety Gerald Bowman intercepted a pass in the second quarter.

It was the second career interception for Bowman, who transferred to USC from Pierce College before the 2012 season.

Bowman, from Philadelphia, redshirted last season after suffering a shoulder injury.

Defensive lineman Leonard Williams also had a second-quarter interception, the second of his career.

Junior linebacker Anthony Sarao got his first interception in the third quarter, sophomore Michael Hutchings in the fourth.

Good hands

Receiver Darreus Rogers was slowed during training camp because of an Achilles' tendon injury, but he looked at full speed against Fresno State.

The sophomore caught five passes for 60 yards, many of them clutch.

On the first drive, he caught three third-down passes as the Trojans drove 90 yards for a touchdown.

Rogers had receptions of nine, 17 and 18 yards to keep alive the 17-play march.

Shaw substitutes

Chris Hawkins started in place of suspended cornerback Josh Shaw and made one tackle.

Junior cornerback Kevon Seymour, the defensive player of the game in last year's Las Vegas Bowl victory over Fresno State, had three tackles.

Seymour is roommates with Shaw, who admitted to school officials that he fabricated a story about how he injured his ankles.

Seymour said he has talked to Shaw, but has not asked him about what happened.

"That's none of my business," Seymour said. "I just hope the best for him.

"Everybody makes mistakes. I'm just hoping the best for him and praying for him and things like that so things can work out for him."

Quick hits

Redshirt freshman quarterback Max Browne played for the first time and completed three of four passes for 30 yards. Browne entered with three seconds left in the third quarter and played the rest of the game. ... USC held a moment of silence for the late Louis Zamperini, the former USC distance star, Olympian and war hero. The crowd then erupted with an ovation. ... Former USC All-American Tony Boselli led the Trojans out of the tunnel before the game.

SAN DIEGO -- The Dodgers have spent the last five weeks in first place in the National League West, yet their lead remains uncomfortably small.

In the wake of a 10-inning, 2-1 loss to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Saturday night, the Dodgers' edge over the second-place San Francisco Giants was reduced to 2 1/2 games.

The Giants won their fifth consecutive game, 3-1 over the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Dodgers have 26 regular-season games left, the Giants 27. Six games will be against each other.

With no guarantee of a division title, the Dodgers remain in search of reinforcements.

Some of them will be players returning from injuries, such as Hyun-Jin Ryu, who is scheduled to be activated from the disabled list Sunday to start to the series finale against the Padres.

Others will come from the minor leagues starting Monday, when major league rosters can expand by as many as 15 players.

Help could also come from the outside, if the Dodgers can claim a player on waivers or trade for a player who has cleared waivers. For a player to eligible for postseason play, he would have to be in the organization by Sunday.

The Dodgers have already received some uplifting news. Hanley Ramirez returned to the lineup Saturday, a day after tightness in his left leg forced him to make an early departure from Friday's series-opening defeat.

Ramirez initially wasn't listed as a starter by Manager Don Mattingly, who figured the shortstop was unlikely to be sufficiently recovered. But Ramirez worked out on the warning track at Petco Park under the supervision of team trainers and Mattingly.

That being the case, Mattingly rewrote his lineup and slotted Ramirez into the No. 2 spot. Yasiel Puig, who started the day in an 0-for-19 slump, was dropped to fifth in the order.

"I want to get Hanley the extra at-bat," Mattingly said.

Before Ramirez was removed from Friday's game, he was three for four with a home run and a double.

"I thought he looked good," Mattingly said. "I think it's the first time we've seen him with better timing since he's been back. To me, it looks like he's swinging better."

Others could also be returning, starting with Ryu, who has been sidelined by a strained buttock muscle.

Juan Uribe also could be activated Sunday. The third baseman went on the disabled list Aug. 16 because of a strained right hamstring.

If Uribe doesn't return Sunday, he'll be back Monday, when rosters expand. Delaying Uribe's comeback would spare the Dodgers from having to send Darwin Barney or Miguel Rojas to the minor leagues. A player who is demoted wouldn't be eligible to return to the majors until the minor league season is over.

Whenever Uribe is activated, Mattingly said he will be the team's everyday third baseman.

Justin Turner, who before Saturday was batting .375 since the All-Star break, will return to a utility role. Mattingly said he wants to prevent Turner from wearing down.

Reliever Chris Perez, who has been battling bone spurs in his ankle, is expected back Monday. Left-hander Paco Rodriguez, who is dealing with a strained back muscle, is aiming to return some time in September.

The Dodgers will round out their roster with a handful of minor league players, among them triple-A outfielder Joc Pederson, who was the most valuable player of the Pacific Coast League.

KEY MOMENT: Jamey Wright gave up a leadoff single in the 10th inning to Will Venable, who stole second base. Venable scored the winning run on a single to center field by Alexi Amarista.

ON THE MOUND: Zack Greinke limited the Padres to a run and four hits over eight innings. He struck out eight and walked two. Greinke has pitched seven or more innings in five of his last seven starts. With the game tied, 1-1, J.P. Howell uncharacteristically allowed the first two batters he faced to reach base, as he gave up a hit to Abraham Almonte and walked Seth Smith. Howell forced Yasmani Grandal to line into a double play. Brian Wilson recorded the final out of the inning to send the game into extra innings.

AT THE PLATE: Adrian Gonzalez tied the game, 1-1, in the sixth inning with his team-leading 19th home run. The home run was Gonzalez's 61st at Petco Park, the most of any player in history. No other player has hit more than 38. The Dodgers had only one hit in the first five innings, a fifth-inning single by Carl Crawford. The left fielder stole second base and reached third on a fly ball to center field by Justin Turner. But Drew Butera struck out with Crawford on third base, setting up an inning-ending fly out by Greinke. Padres starter Ian Kennedy held the Dodgers to a run and four hits over seven innings.

EXTRA BASES: Yasiel Puig snapped a 0-for-22 skid with an eighth-inning single Former closer Trevor Hoffman was inducted into the Padres Hall of Fame in a pregame ceremony.

SPECIAL EVENT: Clayton Kershaw and his wife, Ellen, will host their second annual celebrity pingpong tournament Thursday at Dodger Stadium. The event will raise money for Kershaw's Challenge, a nonprofit foundation that works with low-income communities and underprivileged children in Los Angeles, Dallas and Zambia. For information on tickets and sponsorship packages, visit http://www.kershawschallenge.com/pp4p.

ON THE FARM: Outfielder Alex Verdugo, the Dodgers' second-round selection in the 2014 draft, was named to the Arizona League All-Star team. Verdugo, 18, batted .347 with three home runs, 14 doubles and 33 runs batted in.

Written By kolimtiga on Sabtu, 30 Agustus 2014 | 12.56

IndyCar rookie Mikhail Aleshin was injured Friday night in multiple-car crash during final practice for the IndyCar race Saturday night at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana.

Aleshin was conscious and airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center "complaining of injuries to his right shoulder and right foot," IndyCar officials said.

The 27-year-old, the first driver from Russia to race in the Verizon IndyCar Series, was in Turn 4 of the two-mile Fontana oval -- a track where the cars travel at more than 200 mph -- when the accident occurred at about 7:30 p.m.

Aleshin's No. 7 car was low on the track when it suddenly went into a spin. The car driven by Charlie Kimball then slammed into Aleshin's car at full speed, sending Aleshin's car sailing into the outside catch fence.

Aleshin's car ripped out a section of the fence, then pinwheeled and fell back to the track as pieces of the car were scattered for yards. It took safety workers several minutes to extricate Aleshin from his crumpled car.

"The 7 car spun from the bottom and I really had nowhere to go," said Kimball, who was not hurt.

It was not immediately known whether Aleshin's team, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, would use a substitute driver Saturday night in the MAVTV 500. Earlier Friday, Aleshin had qualified to start eighth in the race's 22-car field.

A federal judge late Friday struck down two provisions of a Texas law that has already forced the closure of half the state's abortion clinics, granting at least a temporary reprieve to nearly a dozen more facilities that would have otherwise gone out of business Monday.

U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel, in a 21-page decision, concluded that when the two provisions in question "are considered together, they create a scheme that effects the closing of almost all abortion clinics in Texas that were operating legally in the fall of 2013."

As a result, Yeakel said, "the overall effect of the provisions is to create an impermissible obstacle as applied to all women" seeking an abortion. If the provisions were allowed to stand, women in Texas would shoulder an "unconstitutional undue burden," he wrote, because the Texas law restricts access to previously available legal facilities.

Texas Atty. Gen. Greg Abbott immediately filed a notice that he would appeal Yeakel's decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, which has upheld abortion restrictions.

The two measures struck down by Yeakel are part of House Bill 2, an omnibus antiabortion law passed in July 2013, which attacked access in four separate ways:

It banned nearly all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. It required that abortion-inducing drugs such as mifepristone be administered in the presence of a doctor, resulting in three separate clinic visits. It mandated that physicians performing the procedure have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic where they practice. And it demanded that all abortion clinics have the same equipment and building requirements as ambulatory surgery centers, even if all they do is administer oral antiabortion drugs.

On Friday, Yeakel struck down the ambulatory surgical center requirements statewide and the admitting privileges mandate as it applies to two clinics, one in the Rio Grande Valley, the other in West Texas, regions where women have the least access to abortion services.

If the law stood, he wrote, after Sept. 1, "only seven facilities and a potential eighth will exist in Texas," a state with 5.4 million women of reproductive age. It would mean that around 2 million of those women would have to travel more than 50 miles to reach an abortion clinic and that three-quarters of a million would have to travel more than 200 miles.

"Even if the remaining clinics could meet the demand," Yeakel wrote, "the court concludes that the practical impact on Texas women due to the clinics' closure statewide would operate for a significant number of women in Texas just as drastically as a complete ban on abortion."

Proponents of abortion rights, noting that Texas had 40 clinics before HB 2 was passed, cheered Yeakel's ruling. They said it was the third decision in a month that knocked down the requirement on admitting privileges after judges in Alabama and Mississippi reached similar conclusions.

"It will prevent the closure of a number of Texas abortion clinics that have been providing high-quality healthcare to Texas women for decades," Stephanie Toti, who is with the Center for Reproductive Rights and is lead attorney for the clinics that sued to overturn portions of HB 2, said of Yeakel's ruling. "It will ensure that Texas women will continue to have access to safe and legal abortion care throughout the state of Texas."

State Sen. Wendy Davis, a Democrat who is running for governor against Abbot, called Yeakel's decision "a victory for women's healthcare. These decisions should only be made between a woman, her doctor and her God — not Austin politicians like Atty. Gen. Greg Abbott, who would make abortion illegal even in cases of rape and incest."

Davis became a household name when she filibustered, in bright pink running shoes, to block HB 2 during a special session of the Texas Legislature, though that win was short-lived.

Lisa Paul, a spokeswoman for the Texas Democratic Party, called the ruling "a rejection of Mad Men-era politics and policies." The Republican legislators who wrote and passed HB 2, Paul said, "are wrong for Texas, and today's decision reaffirms that it is time for a change in our state."

Jonathan Saenz, president of a conservative Austin-based group called Texas Values, said he was disappointed but not surprised, given Yeakel's record. And he said he was confident that the decision would eventually be overturned by the conservative 5th Circuit.

"Efforts by pro-abortion advocates in the past to stall the implementation of these common-sense laws that look to protect the health and safety of women have been stopped by the 5th Circuit," Saenz said. "This will not be the end of this issue by a long shot."

Emily Horne, a legislative associate with Texas Right to Life, echoed Saenz's mix of hope and displeasure.

"These rulings impact safety provisions put in place last year," Horne said. "We think it's a dangerous ruling, especially because of its implications for the safety of Texas women. ... [But] this is only the first ruling in this specific case."

Hennessy-Fiske reported from Dallas and La Ganga from Seattle. Times staff writers Cindy Carcamo in Tucson and James Queally in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Ryan Palmer took only 21 putts Friday at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass., and birdied half of his holes. That gave him an eight-under-par 63 and a two-shot lead over Keegan Bradley after the opening round of the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Palmer didn't miss a putt inside 15 feet and closed out his round with a pitching wedge to 18 feet, making the downhill putt for his ninth birdie.

Bradley matched his low round of the season, though what meant more was the timing. This is the final week before U.S. captain Tom Watson decides which three players he will pick to fill out his Ryder Cup team. Bradley always seemed like a logical choice, though he wants to leave nothing to chance. He played bogey-free in a gentle breeze.

Webb Simpson, who also needs a pick to return to the Ryder Cup, and Jason Day of Australia were among those at 66.

Jordan Spieth recovered from a double bogey to start his round and, with his entire family in tow, turned it around with four birdies and an eagle for a 67. Also at 67 was Ian Poulter, who seems certain to be a Ryder Cup pick for Europe on Tuesday.

Rory McIlroy was brilliant at times and sloppy at other times in his round of 70.

Phil Mickelson had a 74. He wasn't sure what to expect and even Lefty had to be surprised by his card that had six pars, six birdies, four bogeys, a double bogey and a triple bogey.

I.K. Kim increases her lead at Portland Classic

I.K. Kim increased her lead to three strokes in the LPGA Tour's Portland Classic, shooting a five-under 67 to reach 12 under.

The South Korean player had seven birdies and two bogeys in her morning round in cloudy, calm conditions at Columbia Edgewater in Portland, Ore. She won the last of her three LPGA Tour titles in 2010, and had a victory this summer in a Ladies European Tour event in England.

South Korea's So Yeon Ryu, the Canadian Women's Open winner Sunday in Ontario, is at eight under along with Mina Harigae, China's Xi Yu Lin and South Africa's Paula Reto. The fifth-ranked Ryu had a 66, Lin carded a 68, and Harigae and Reto each shot 69.

Defending champion Suzann Pettersen is at six under after a 67. The fourth-ranked Norwegian player also won the 2011 event.

Pernice, Bryant share Champions Tour lead

Tom Pernice Jr. and Bart Bryant matched the Canyon Meadows record at eight-under 62 to share the first-round lead in the Champions Tour's Shaw Charity Classic in Calgary, Canada.

The 54-year-old Pernice birdied his first five holes — Nos. 10-14 — and had 10 birdies and two bogeys on the rain-softened course. The two-time PGA Tour winner won the Principal Charity Classic in June in Iowa for his third Champions Tour title.

The 52-year-old Bryant, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour, birdied five of his last eight holes. He won his lone Champions Tour title last year.

They tied the course record set last year by Bill Glasson.

David Frost is a stroke back while Joe Durant and Joe Daley each shot 64.

Bernhard Langer opened with a 67, two days after turning 57. The German player has a tour-high five victories this season.

Fred Couples and defending champion Rocco Mediate shot 68. Mediate won the inaugural tournament by seven strokes, shooting 63-64-64 to match the tour record for fewest strokes in a 54-hole event.

Otto's 62 good for three-stroke lead at Italian Open

South Africa's Hennie Otto shot a 10-under 62 to take a three-stroke lead after the second round of the Italian Open in Fiano.

Otto, the 2008 winner at Castello di Tolcinasco, had an eagle, nine birdies and a bogey to reach 15 under at Circolo Golf Torino. Austria's Bernd Wiesberger was second after a 66.

Scotland's Stephen Gallacher, needing a top-two finish to earn the final automatic spot on the European Ryder Cup team, is tied for ninth at seven under after a 65.

It was a near perfect Friday night in the bustling suburb of Flushing.

The temperature was cool, but not chilly. The lights were blazing at Citi Field for a Mets home game and the No. 7 train was delivering hordes of people from Manhattan to the Willets Point Station for the game and the U.S. Open tennis tournament across the way.

There, in front of 22,500 people, Roger Federer was shooting fish in a barrel. As usual.

Nighttime play at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center, and inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, is often more party than tennis. For years, Federer has been the perfect host.

He took the court looking like a movie title. He was the man in black — shirt, shorts, headband, even shoes. The only thing missing was a bow tie.

This was the 25th time in his 16-year career that he has been the nighttime show. Twenty-four times he has not only entertained, but won. In 2012, he lost a quarterfinal at night to Tomas Berdych. That's the only one.

Friday night's mackerel was one of those classic unknowns who get a big win or two in the early rounds and suddenly find themselves fodder in the USTA's "Tonight Show," hosted by Roger.

Sam Groth, victim No. 24, did not come to the party completely without reputation. He is a husky Aussie, 6 feet 4, 215 pounds, with a heavy beard. You get the feeling you'd have a great time with him over dinner and 10 Fosters.

He also once hit a serve that was clocked at 163.4 mph in an ATP Challenger event. Because it was a Challenger, it does not get official listing as the fastest serve ever on the tour. That still goes to 6-foot-11 Ivo Karlovic of Croatia, who hit one 156.

Still, Groth's big serve sure gets the attention of the people he plays.

After Federer won his first-round match Wednesday night, he was asked by ESPN's on-court interviewer, Brad Gilbert, if he were aware that his next opponent had once hit a serve 163. Federer's eyes got big and he said, "What?"

That, however, was apparently the last moment of concern for the 17-time Grand Slam champion and five-time U.S. Open winner. He handled the Groth sizzle comfortably, winning, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

He actually out-aced the ace man, 9-8, and even returned one 147-mph bomb and got it back at 142 for a winner.

Asked afterward if he'd had his eyes open or closed when he got the 147 serve back, he joked, "Got to check the replay. I'm not sure."

Then he launched into a recitation on how, once the serve speed passes the 135 range, it's almost so fast that luck plays a role. He added that he can often feel on his racket how fast it was, and he can read a little bit when the big one is coming because the server's body tightens before he lets go.

In other words, while he can have a sense of humor about the ridiculousness of trying to return serves at that speed, he also has a plan to do it. Federer leaves nothing to chance.

"I'm aware of every serve, how hard it is after the point when he goes big," he said. He added that he always checks the speed gun, "because I think it is interesting and I want to see."

Even after all these years, he remains an amazing show. At 33, and at a time when it is fashionable to presume these twilight years will soon turn to retirement, he still has a way of dazzling.

Groth's serve was all bombast, noise and muscle. Federer's is quiet surgery, and twice as effective. The aces of Groth and so many like him knock you on your back and you know immediately. Federer's are quick little incisions. Before you feel the pain, you have bled to death.

In the midst of all the bustle that is night tennis at the U.S. Open, with all the Federer caps and shirts that read "Roger That," he plays tennis with a quiet precision that you wish somebody could bottle.

Groth, the guy serving bombs, won the point on his first serve 59% of the time. Federer, with his slick darters, won it 84% of the time.

When Muhammad Ali coined his "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee," he was also framing Federer's tennis style in picture-perfect terms.

Groth lost the first set when he volleyed long. He followed that by launching a ball in anger into the upper deck at Ashe Stadium, no small feat in this huge place. At the end of the night, it ranked up there with his most successful strokes.

He did break Federer's serve twice, something he can tell his grandchildren someday, and he did compete well under the circumstances, knowing full well that this was all about the other guy.

In the third set, Groth was up a break and in good position to force a fourth set. Federer merely brushed his hair back and figured out what to do next.

Minutes later, Groth's service return nestled into the net on match point and Federer, after shaking hands at the net, did what he has done so many times under the lights at Ashe.

He walked to the middle of the court, smiled and waved to the adoring fans, who were on their feet and cheering.

Written By kolimtiga on Jumat, 29 Agustus 2014 | 12.56

USC's secondary quickly went from seasoned to somewhat inexperienced in the wake of Josh Shaw's suspension.

But the Trojans might benefit in the long run if young players take advantage of the opportunity in Saturday's season opener against Fresno State.

Shaw, a fifth-year senior and team captain, was suspended indefinitely Wednesday after admitting that he lied about how he incurred ankle injuries. He was not going to play in the opener regardless because of the injuries.

Junior Kevon Seymour, Shaw's roommate, will start at one cornerback spot and redshirt freshman Chris Hawkins is the front-runner to start at the other.

"We still have a lot of corners," defensive lineman Leonard Williams said Wednesday before Shaw was suspended. "We're not going to let it affect us" at game time.

Freshman Adoree' Jackson will now have a potentially larger role on defense in addition to playing receiver and possibly returning kicks.

Freshmen Jonathan Lockett and Lamont Simmons also moved up the depth chart.

Ready to run

Tailback Justin Davis has not played in a game since suffering a broken ankle last Oct. 19.

The sophomore said it felt much longer.

"Like I haven't touched the field in five years," he said.

Junior Tre Madden is sidelined because of a toe injury, moving Davis up to the No. 2 tailback on the depth chart.

Junior Javorius Allen is on track to start, but Davis should get plenty of opportunities.

Last season, Davis scored six touchdowns and averaged nearly seven yards a carry before he was injured.

He acknowledged that he will be nervous until he absorbs a hit at the Coliseum.

"I've been nervous since Pop Warner, sixth grade," he said, chuckling. "It's a good thing. I look at it as positive that keeps me on my toes."

Quick hit

Offensive lineman Khaliel Rodgers will be in uniform against Fresno State but is not expected to play because he is still recovering from a knee sprain.

This was supposed to be a back-to-the-business-of-football season for USC.

NCAA penalties were in the past. Unpredictable Lane Kiffin was out as coach.

Steve Sarkisian was ready to make his debut at the controls of a new-look, nationally ranked team.

Yet, as USC prepares for Saturday's opener against Fresno State at the Coliseum, the talk has been about anything but football.

The hot topic has been the off-field shenanigans of a senior cornerback who won't be playing, a furor interrupted briefly Thursday by a ruckus prompted by a player who is no longer on the team.

After practice, Sarkisian was again bombarded with questions about Josh Shaw's fabricated story of injury. And less than an hour after he was finished navigating that, he was compelled to seek out reporters working in the sports information office inside Heritage Hall in order to address racism claims made by running back Anthony Brown, who quit the team.

A day earlier, Sarkisian had been asked if he sought the advice of other coaches about handling distractions.

"I'm not a newbie," said Sarkisian, who coached five seasons at Washington. "I've been around it enough. I think I have a good grasp of how to keep my team focused and attentive to the details and prepared to play."

His confidence will be tested Saturday.

Shaw, a team captain, has been suspended indefinitely after admitting to school officials that he lied about the cause of his recent ankle injuries. He had claimed the injuries occurred when he leaped from a balcony and saved a nephew from drowning in a swimming pool at a family gathering in Palmdale last Saturday night.

Shaw's attorney said this week the player was hurt when he fell off a balcony at a downtown apartment complex.

The Los Angeles Police Department said it responded about 10:40 p.m. Saturday to a report of a "screaming woman" inside an apartment at the Orsini Apartments on North Figueroa Street. Officers knocked on the door of the third-floor unit where the screams were heard but there was no answer, Officer Sara Faden said. The officers then broke open the door and conducted a brief search of the apartment, finding no one inside. Officers noticed "the window had been pried open," she said.

Faden said witnesses told police they had seen a black man with dreadlocks climbing from the third-floor balcony of the apartment. The woman who resides in that unit then arrived on the scene. Given the description of the man provided by witnesses, she said it fit that of her boyfriend, Shaw.

The woman, whom police have not identified, reported nothing stolen from the apartment. The LAPD has not accused Shaw of wrongdoing but has said it is still investigating and would seek to interview him.

Shaw has not spoken to reporters. Sarkisian said that when Shaw admitted his lie to USC officials, the player did not explain what actually did happen.

"We weren't privy to ask," Sarkisian added, noting that Shaw had been accompanied by his attorney.

About the time the tumult over Shaw was starting to wane, a post on running back Brown's Instagram account started making the rounds on social media.

The post read: "Couldn't play for a racist man!!!! Sark treated me like a slave in his office... Can't play for a racist MAN!!!!!!"

Sarkisian announced Brown had quit the team but said the player's claim was "ridiculous." "That's about the furthest thing from the truth," Sarkisian added.

Brown confirmed that the post was made on his account, but he did not respond to text messages asking whether he wrote the post accusing the coach of being a racist. The post was removed Thursday afternoon.

Sarkisian said he had encouraged Brown to continue to play. "We thought he could be an asset to our team, especially if he's healthy," he said.

Players came to Sarkisian's defense.

"Coach Sark is a great person/coach! Please disregard comments that have been made by someone," defensive tackle Antwaun Woods wrote in a tweet. Later he said he "Never, ever in a lifetime" had heard racist remarks by Sarkisian.

USC's older players have plenty of experience dealing with distractions.

In 2012, the Trojans were ranked No. 1 in preseason polls but stumbled to a 7-6 record while navigating a series of controversial moves by Kiffin.

First, Kiffin's comments about voting in the USA Today coaches poll ignited a controversy, then he banned a beat reporter from practice for revealing that a player had undergone surgery. Kiffin and his staff also came under scrutiny after then-freshman quarterback Cody Kessler was ordered to switch jerseys during a game against Colorado. And USC was fined $25,000 after it was discovered that a USC student manager had intentionally deflated footballs against Oregon.

The season ended with an embarrassing loss in the Sun Bowl and players arguing in the locker room.

Last season, Kiffin was fired after five games — in the middle of the night at Los Angeles International Airport after the Trojans returned home after being crushed by Arizona State in Tempe.

USC rallied under interim Coach Ed Orgeron, but he then bolted the program before the Trojans' bowl game after the school hired Sarkisian. Offensive coordinator Clay Helton coached the Trojans to victory over Fresno State in the Las Vegas Bowl as USC finished with a respectable 10-4 record.

"We've had to deal with so much more adversity in past years, even before this," junior defensive lineman Leonard Williams said Wednesday, about six hours before USC announced that Shaw was suspended. "Our team has become adjusted to playing through adversity."

Senior linebacker Hayes Pullard said the veterans will help the younger players as the Trojans prepare for the season opener.

"This is exactly when the leadership role comes in," he said, adding, "Just being able to talk to them and meet with the young guys and tell them this is something little.

"You don't worry about it and you just focus."

As for Shaw, Sarkisian said Thursday that he could "potentially" be reinstated to the team this season. "Obviously, there are some things that have to take place," the coach said, adding, "When the time's right, if the time's right to bring him back, we will."

It was 1978. Shriver had just turned 16 — "I was a Fourth-of-July baby" — and was about to make the kind of run in the U.S. Open that shows the upheaval here and in the media over Bellis' first-round victory to be both shallow and overdone.

Hours before Bellis was to take the court Thursday, Shriver articulated the positives in Bellis' game.

"She's a really good young player," she said. "She attacks and has great energy."

Shriver also added perspective.

"It will be exceptional if she makes a big run here," Shriver said, speaking as if she hoped she would and knew she probably wouldn't.

"It's a different time now, a different kind of media," she said. "Everything is just bigger."

Shriver, 52, is part of that media. She is a broadcaster for ESPN. She has kids and lives in a world of iPhones, instant gratification and everything needing to happen right now. She understands why Bellis became an overnight sensation. She also understands the good and the danger in that.

Shriver came to the U.S. Open as an amateur, still a high school student, weighing the prospects of pro tennis or Stanford University. She was 6 feet tall, played with an oversized Prince racket and served and volleyed with it.

"That struck a lot of people as strange," she said. "It was supposed to be a racket for older people."

She had played in enough tournaments leading into the U.S. Open to actually be seeded.

"They only seeded 16 then, and I was No. 16," she said.

Still, she was far from a known quantity and her big game attracted immediate attention. But by the time she got to the semifinals, and beat Martina Navratilova, there was as much sensation as possible in a world before thumb-typing and Twitter.

"It still wasn't as big as it would be now," she said. "This was the age of teenage girls, making big moves in tennis. Chris Evert did it. And Tracy Austin."

Still, when 16-year-old Shriver rode the train from Baltimore and started running through the draw, it was a big deal. Her coach, Dan Candy, kept things low-key.

She stayed in a midtown hotel, took the subway's No. 7 train that goes to Flushing Meadows, as it still does. No limos, no official escorts. Just the subway with everybody else.

"I don't remember any offer of transportation from the tournament at all," she said.

Her mother, Margot, got nervous during her matches and usually spent the time doing needlepoint. Her dad, Sam, watched from the highest corner of then-center court, Louis Armstrong Stadium.

"I remember [famed tennis writer] Bud Collins climbing all the way up there to talk to him," Shriver said.

When she lost to Evert in the final, she was given an immediate mandate by her parents. Get home and get to school. The next day, that's where she was.

Her high school called an assembly to honor her, and on the way into school, a reporter from the National Enquirer stopped her and asked her whether she knew where Pam Shriver was. She said she was Pam Shriver and talked to the reporter for a couple of minutes. That got her in trouble with her parents.

"The family had agreed to get things back to normal. No talking to reporters," Shriver said. "My mother threw a couple of them from People magazine off the front porch."

Eventually, she decided to turn pro, rather than go to Stanford. Things calmed down.

"I went to take my driver's test," she said, "and I flunked it when I couldn't parallel park.

"That was my worst loss of the summer."

That summer of 1978 was the closest she ever came to a Grand Slam singles title. She got to six more major semifinals, and had a Hall of Fame career that included 21 Grand Slam doubles titles (20 in women's, one in mixed), most of them with Navratilova. She ranked in the top five in singles most of her career and won 21 tour singles titles.

Yet her toughest year of all was the year after her 1978 U.S. Open run.

"It was such a burden," she said.

So she watches with interest and concern as Bellis begins to spend her teenage years in tennis' bright spotlight.

In her three-set loss Thursday night, Bellis showed both talent and maturity.

She was properly grateful and happy in her on-court, post-match interview, as ESPN did its usual ugly American thing and bypassed the winner to get to the American first.

Her dad watched quietly from the seats in packed Court 17. Like Margot Shriver, Bellis' mother is too nervous to watch in person. Bellis is home-schooled and lives in an upscale Atherton neighborhood, with a swimming pool and tennis court in the backyard.

At her news conference, she was typically, and refreshingly, a teenager. She said she was surprised she could play with these pros, that she was excited to stay around and play in the juniors. And when told people had started to line up to get a seat on the court for her match starting at 10 a.m., she said, "That's crazy. It's an honor to have people doing that for me."

The last time someone was killed inside the Jordan Downs Housing Development in Watts, a man chased 48-year-old Antonio McNeil and shot him in a drug dispute in broad daylight. Video cameras installed in the development captured the chase and subsequent killing.

That was three years ago today.

It's a different kind of anniversary in an area long known for gang violence: No one has been killed within the boundaries of the development since Aug. 28, 2011.

"It's really incredible to think there are kids who have been in Jordan Downs for the last three years and can say, 'I've never seen a homicide,' " Capt. Phil Tingirides told the city's housing authority commission Thursday at a meeting in Watts.

Tingirides, who has headed the Southeast LAPD station more than 7 years, said that from 2001 to 2011, 78 people were killed within the housing developments that include Nickerson Gardens, Imperial Courts and Jordan Downs.

Police credit the absence of killings to a combination of efforts, including those of community activists and gang interventionists. There are also security cameras in the developments to capture criminal activity. But in 2011, LAPD, along with funding from the housing authority, launched a program called the Community Safety Partnership, which places officers on the ground in the housing developments in Watts and in Ramona Gardens in Boyle Heights. Each development is staffed with about 11 officers who walk foot beats, patrol and connect with the community through various activities like youth sports.

The other developments in the Community Safety Partnership have seen only four homicides in the past three years. In each case, an arrest was made within two weeks thanks to help from the community, Tingirides said. Police didn't see any retaliatory shootings.

Donny Joubert, a gang intervention worker and co-founder of the Watts gang task force, called the drop in homicides "huge."

"We knew we had to change and help change the community," he said.

Others, such as Kathy Wooten, a longtime Watts resident who works with the Jordan Downs community, was "speechless" upon hearing about the anniversary.

In 2008, Wooten lost two sons within two months. After her first son was shot, the killing triggered a series of retaliation shootings in Watts that left nearly a dozen dead and almost 20 wounded.

"Gang banging just isn't as interesting or important," she said. "A lot of people have died that was really important or cared about."

Tingirides said there's enormous trauma that comes with having a friend of family member killed, even if the person was not involved.

"It creates the numbness; it creates a lot of the anger we see in future violence," he said after the meeting.

Sgt. Emada Tingirides, who heads up the community safety partnership program, said that it's not only officers on the streets but community members taking ownership of their neighborhoods.

"We are working in a community that has historically distrusted the police," she told the commission.

On Thursday afternoon, 34-year-old Miguel Orozco swept the sidewalk outside his apartment in Jordan Downs while his children played in the grass with a hose.

A single father, he keeps his four children inside. "If I don't go out, they don't go out."

He said it's been a "miracle" that no one's been killed in the past three years, but violence is still happening.

He pointed to the fence near his apartment. "It's just past this fence."

-- Nicole Santa Cruz

Photo: An LAPD officer and members of the community get ready to play Bingo in the Jordan Downs gym in January. Credit: Bethany Mollenkof / Los Angeles Times

Written By kolimtiga on Kamis, 28 Agustus 2014 | 12.56

Sometimes they're not gems, they're just really, really good.

Clayton Kershaw did not throw one of his best games of the season Wednesday night in Phoenix, at least by his lofty standards.

But most pitchers would take a Kershaw performance off a couple clicks and be happy as can be, which is what the Dodgers ultimately were in their 3-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

Not as happy was outfielder Scott Van Slyke, who left the game in the bottom of the fourth with a mild ankle sprain. This after he had hit his fourth home run this season off Arizona's Wade Miley.

The outfield grass seemed to give way as he backed up a diving Yasiel Puig and his ankle took a nasty turn. He fielded the ball and threw underhand, as the Diamondbacks' only run scored. Van Slyke was charged with an error on the throw, making the run unearned.

Meanwhile, Kershaw just marched on. He gave up the unearned run on six hits and two walks, while striking out 10.

Despite missing about six starts early this season with a back injury, Kershaw became the first pitcher in the majors to win 16 games. He is now 16-4 with a baseball-best 1.73 earned-run average.

The Dodgers, winners of five of their last six, scored all three runs in the third. Dee Gordon started the rally with a bunt single and stole second (stolen base No. 58) before Puig walked.

Matt Kemp, who had started the scoring in Tuesday's win with a two-run homer, this time drilled a two-run double. He was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a triple, but Van Slyke then added his solo home run.

Van Slyke is 8 for 18 lifetime against Miley, with five home runs.

Miley (7-10) survived the rest of the night without damage, but it was too late. The other pitcher was pretty good.

Kershaw pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the third, and gave up a leadoff triple to Ender Inciarte and left him stranded at third.

It was Kershaw's 14th consecutive start going at least seven innings and allowing three of fewer runs.

Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth for the Dodgers for his 38th save of the season and 100th of his career.

The victory raised the Dodgers' record to 76-58, the first time this season they've been 18 games over .500.

Alan Gordon scored in the second minute, Landon Donovan added another, and the Los Angeles Galaxy beat D.C. United 4-1 on Wednesday night.

Los Angeles (12-5-7) won its third straight game for the first time this season, while D.C. United (13-8-4) lost for the first time in three matches.

The Galaxy built a 3-0 lead at halftime. Gordon scored into an empty net at the 1:03 mark for his second goal in three games. Omar Gonzalez scored at the end of Donovan's corner kick in the 25th minute and Baggio Husidic redirected a cross in the first minute of stoppage time before halftime. D.C. United pulled within 3-1 in the 58th minute, but Donovan capped the scoring on a penalty kick in the 75th minute for his third goal in three games.

A beloved chief executive ousted from a New England supermarket chain will return to the company after a massive outpouring of support that included worker strikes and a shopper boycott.

Arthur T. Demoulas will take control of Market Basket after an agreement was reached at $1.5 billion for the 50.5% of the company owned by rival shareholders, including his cousin, Arthur S. Demoulas, according to a statement from the company.

"Effective immediately, Arthur T. Demoulas is returning to Market Basket with day-to-day operational authority of the company," the statement said.

The deal was reached Wednesday night.

Demoulas and his team will run the company on an interim basis while the deal is being completed, according to the statement.

The Market Basket chain, which has 25,000 employees and 71 stores in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, was founded by Greek immigrant Arthur Demoulas nearly a century ago.

His two grandsons, Arthur S. Demoulas and Arthur T. Demoulas, have warred over control of the company for decades. In June, Arthur S. gained control of the company board and fired Arthur T., who had been chief executive for eight years and had been managing the company for years before that.

It's Arthur T. who employees say instituted a profit-sharing plan that allows retirees to walk away with an impressive retirement plan, who gave holiday bonuses, who encouraged grocery baggers to work their way up the corporate ladder to a corner office. It's Arthur T. who kept prices fair for customers, and who treated suppliers fairly, and who always had a kind word for every customer, employer and supplier he encountered.

Eight middle managers in the corporate office in June asked for the chief executive to be reinstated; they were fired a few weeks later after leading protests about the firing. One rally at company headquarters drew 10,000 employees, customers and other supporters.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan hailed the deal in a statement to the news media:

"We are delighted that the parties have reached agreement on terms of sale and resolution of operating authority, so that employees can return to work and customers will once again be able to rely on these stores to meet their needs."

Mike Trout tied a career high with his 30th home run, Gordon Beckham homered for the first time with his new club, and the Angels beat the Miami Marlins 6-1 Wednesday night.

Hector Santiago ended a string of six consecutive no-decisions in a starting role, helping the Angels maintain their one-game lead in the AL West over Oakland and improve the major leagues' best record to 79-53.

Santiago (4-7) struck out six in 5 2/3 innings and allowed three hits, including Adeiny Hechavarria's leadoff homer in the third, his sixth in 1,100 career at-bats to that point. The left-hander fanned his next five batters and didn't allow another hit until Jeff Baker's two-out single in the sixth.

Henderson Avarez (10-6) gave up five runs and eight hits in 6 1-3 innings after winning his previous four starts. The right-hander had pitched shutouts in his previous three interleague starts.

The Neuheisel Era was not a golden era for UCLA football. Yet, the renaissance the Bruins have enjoyed the last two years is rooted in his handiwork.

Odighizuwa anchors the defensive line. Eric Kendricks patrols at linebacker. Safety Anthony Jefferson roams the secondary. On offense, Jordon James is looking to bounce back from an injury that sidelined him after a productive start to last season. Center Jake Brendel guides the offensive line. And quarterback Brett Hundley is widely considered a Heisman Trophy candidate.

All Neuheisel recruits. Indeed, five of UCLA's six team captains were brought in under his regime, including linebacker Ryan Hofmeister, the special teams' leader.

"The cupboard certainly wasn't bare," Coach Jim Mora said. "Rick did a hell of a job recruiting these kids."

It was clear a change had to be made in 2011. In four seasons under Neuheisel, the Bruins had a 21-29 record.

Neuheisel came to Westwood as a prodigal son, a former UCLA quarterback coming back to restore the program as coach. But his final season included an ugly fight when the Bruins played Arizona and a 50-0 shellacking by USC just days after Neuheisel proclaimed that UCLA had "closed the gap" with the Trojans.

The Bruins have flourished under Mora, with 19 victories — including two over USC — in two seasons. And now UCLA is a preseason top-10 team, poised for even more success buoyed by the across-the-board talent brought in by Mora.

But there are 12 players remaining who signed up with Neuheisel; 10 in prominent roles.

"There are a lot of critical players on this team that came in with Coach Neuheisel," Hundley said.

None is more critical than Hundley, who redshirted his in 2011. Neuheisel was tempted to use Hundley in the Oregon State game that season, but resisted the urge after talking the matter over with the quarterback's family.

"I'm absolutely proud of what we assembled," Neuheisel said. "Obviously I was disappointed we didn't get to finish what we started, but I admire the work Jim and his staff have done.

"I take their accomplishments as a huge compliment. I love my alma mater and was disappointed things didn't turn out as I hoped. It doesn't take away from the fact I bleed blue and gold."

The uncertainty of a new regime left the remaining players nervous. Even for players such as Odighizuwa, who was certain to be a part of any new plan, there was uneasiness.

He said the change of coaches was "hard because the stability is not there. When you go through different position coaches and defensive coordinators, it's feels like you're always restarting."

Players on the fringe had even more reason to be concerned.

Hofmeister was an undersized linebacker recruited by Neuheisel, and when Mora took over he felt out on a limb.

"Someone like me, the thought was, 'Am I still going to be here?' " Hofmeister said. "But when I talked with Coach Mora, he said I was still a guy they wanted. But that was a big question. A lot of guys were scared of what the change was going to be. A lot of guys got weeded out."

Jefferson faced the coach switch as damaged goods. He was highly recruited out of Los Angeles Cathedral High, where he was a cornerback who ran stride for stride with the stable of receivers at Gardena Serra. "Marqise Lee, Robert Woods, George Farmer, the only guy who could give them a game was A.J.," Neuheisel said.

A broken foot wiped out most of Jefferson's freshman season in 2010. He then missed 2012 following back surgery. When Mora arrived, Jefferson had played three games since high school.

"I always had faith," Jefferson said. "I had to believe in myself."

Meanwhile, other Neuheisel recruits were still maturing. Kendricks has evolved into one of the Pac-12's top linebackers. Brendel is second only to Hundley in importance on offense. James had 424 yards rushing in the first three games before an ankle injury derailed his 2013 season.

All had goals they brought to UCLA.

"I came here to hopefully play well, win the conference and win a national championship," Kendricks said.

The Bruins are expected to compete for the Pac-12 title this season, and predictions by a few pundits have UCLA in the national title hunt.

To get to this point, change did have to come.

"It was pretty much the same players having success the last two years," Jefferson said. "The only think that changed was we got a new coach. I think Coach Neuheisel deserves all the credit in the world. He got a bunch guys here and I think he did the best he could do in his time here."

It leaves open the question, what will be Neuheisel's legacy? The 21-29 record, or the foundation of talent he left in place?

Odighizuwa has his answer.

"He recruited a lot of talent that is going to pan out," Odighizuwa said. "Everything he sold about UCLA was true. My goal was to be part of the process to take UCLA to the top. Unfortunately Coach Neuheisel is not part of that now. But for me, everything has come to fruition."

It was only two days ago that USC and much of the local media portrayed Josh Shaw as a hero.

The college football player was credited with leaping from a second-floor balcony and, despite two injured ankles, crawling to rescue his young nephew from a pool.

Now, the story has turned murky amid growing doubts about what really happened.

USC Coach Steve Sarkisian announced Tuesday that the university had launched an investigation based on calls from several people who contradicted the athlete's account.

"We're going to continue to vet it and we're looking at it," Sarkisian said.

The situation grew even more confusing when police disclosed that Saturday night — when Shaw said he was at a family function in Palmdale — his name popped up in relation to an incident at a downtown Los Angeles apartment complex.

The player did not practice with his team Tuesday and, despite an earlier promise from the university, did not meet with reporters.

"I only know what I know," Sarkisian said. "And Josh is adamant with what occurred."

Shaw is a senior cornerback with no known history of legal or academic problems. Just last weekend, his teammates voted him one of six team captains.

USC first learned of his story — and injuries — on Sunday, said Tim Tessalone, an athletic department spokesman. A subsequent post on the team's website gave this account:

Shaw was named a team captain at a Salute to Troy dinner for boosters on campus Saturday evening. Later that night with family in Palmdale, Shaw spotted his 7-year-old nephew, who cannot swim, in the pool below. After jumping down to the concrete deck, the injured athlete dragged himself into the water and pulled the boy to safety.

The post included statements from Shaw, who said: "I would do it again for whatever kid it was, it did not have to be my nephew." Sarkisian was quoted as saying: "That was a heroic act by Josh, putting his personal safety aside."

The university said it took initial steps to verify the story. "We felt it was solid," Tessalone said.

Media outlets immediately responded with reports of Shaw's courageous act and the story went viral on social media.

By Tuesday, school officials were huddled in the McKay Center as rumors swirled on social media and police added another twist.

At 10 p.m. Saturday night, officers went to the Orsini Apartments on North Figueroa Street to check on a report of a woman's screams from a third-floor unit, police said. No one answered the door, so the officers forced entry. No one was inside.

A neighbor reported seeing a man run across or scale a balcony, and gave a general description of the individual.

Later, as officers interviewed a woman resident of the complex, they told her what the one witness had seen. She responded, "Sounds like my boyfriend, Josh Shaw," according to Lt. Andrew Neiman, an LAPD spokesman. The woman also told the officers Shaw was at dinner with friends, Neiman said.

A man at the front desk of the Orsini Apartments on Tuesday afternoon said Shaw was not a registered resident. The LAPD did not identify the woman in the incident report.

After the Trojans practiced Tuesday, entering final preparations for their season opener against Fresno State on Saturday, camera crews from sports, news and entertainment television shows crowded around Sarkisian.

"He's a good kid," the coach said of Shaw. "I have no reason, no history, to not believe Josh and his story."

But Sarkisian stopped short of saying the story was true or false. And he declined to identify the callers who questioned Shaw's account.

The player's sister subsequently came to his defense in interviews with Channel 7 news and USA Today. However, she said she was not present at the family function.

Times staff writers Richard Winston and Gale Holland and correspondent Lindsey Thiry contributed to this report.

DeFoggi is the sixth person to be found guilty in connection to a large-scale investigation of three child pornography websites based in Nebraska and tied to a single administrator, according to a news release from the Justice Department.

Federal officials said DeFoggi registered as a member of one of the child pornography sites in March 2012 and was active when authorities shut the website down 10 months later.

Prosecutors presented evidence that DeFoggi "had accessed child pornography, solicited child pornography from other members and exchanged private messages with other members where he expressed an interest in the violent rape and murder of children," according to the release.

During that time, prosecutors said DeFoggi, who lived in Germantown, Md., also agreed to meet with another member to "fulfill their mutual fantasies to violently rape and murder children," according to the release.

DeFoggi's attorney, John Berry Jr., in an interview with Omaha's KETV disputed that prosecutors had tied his client to the account in question.

"Just because you have a user name and IP addresses, that doesn't tell you who was behind the computer, especially when there are multiple people that live in a residence," Berry told the station.

DeFoggi was part of the cyber security department from 2008 until the start of 2014, the Business Insider reported.

The Angels have a big four-game series against the American League West-rival Oakland Athletics this weekend in Anaheim, and they're not sure who their starting pitcher will be for one of those games, on Saturday night.

They know who it won't be, veteran left-hander Wade LeBlanc, who was designated for assignment on Tuesday after allowing six runs and seven hits in 3 1/3 innings of Monday night's 7-1 loss to Miami.

LeBlanc got the first crack at replacing the injured Garrett Richards in the rotation, but he will not get another. The Angels needed more bullpen depth after LeBlanc's short start Monday night, so they used his spot to recall right-hander Yoslan Herrera from triple-A Salt Lake.

-------------

FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this story stated Randy Wolf is scheduled to start Wednesday for the Angels. He is scheduled to start Friday.

-------------

"This isn't a reactionary move to a bad outing from last night, to say we're looking past Wade LeBlanc, but right now, we have to," Manager Mike Scioscia insisted. "We're desperate for a fresh arm here tonight.

"Wade didn't pitch as deep as we hoped. Our focus has to be on making sure we're not overworking guys in the bullpen. We needed an arm, and that was the only move open to us right now."

Among the in-house options to start Saturday are double-A left-hander Michael Roth, who pitched Monday for Arkansas and would be in line to start Saturday. Triple-A left-hander Randy Wolf is scheduled to start Friday night, but could see his start pushed back a day.

Among the potential trade targets for General Manager Jerry Dipoto are New York Mets right-hander Bartolo Colon and Houston right-hander Scott Feldman, who have reportedly cleared waivers, and Arizona right-hander Trevor Cahill. It is believed that Cahill has cleared waivers but it is unknown whether the Angels have put in a claim for him.

Colon is 41 and has an $11-million contract for 2015, and Feldman has two more years and $18 million left on his contract, making both unattractive to a team that will be pushing up against the $189-million luxury tax threshold next season.

Cahill is 3-8 with a 4.54 earned-run average in 26 games, 11 starts, this season, and has thrown the ball well since moving back into the rotation permanently on July 18, going 2-2 with a 3.43 ERA in his last seven starts.

But Cahill is also owed $12 million in 2015, and he has two option years on his contract, for $13 million in 2016 (with a $300,000 buyout) and $13.5 million in 2017 (with a $500,000 buyout).

Written By kolimtiga on Selasa, 26 Agustus 2014 | 12.56

When the Rev. Al Sharpton called on mourners at the funeral for Michael Brown to begin a nationwide drive for change, Camille Foster thrust her right hand high and leapt from the church pew to her feet.

"Yes, sir! Yes, sir!" Foster, 22, belted out Monday as the funeral for Brown, an unarmed black man shot by a white police officer, soared into a national lament over race and justice and the number of young African American men who have died in cities like Ferguson.

As with any funeral, there were tears and heart-wrenching images as more than 2,500 people packed the Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church to remember Brown, who was killed Aug. 9.

Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden, stood as if in shock, staring at her son's casket and shaking her head back and forth as a tear rolled down a cheek. Brown's cousin, Bernard Ewing, choked back tears as he spoke of his young relative.

"I love you, Mike. That's all I've got to say," Ewing said, standing on a stage behind a casket laden with red roses and a St. Louis Cardinals baseball cap.

A memorial that ordinarily would have included family and friends from the small suburb of Ferguson where Brown lived and died drew attendees from across the country.

There were Hollywood celebrities: Spike Lee, Wesley Snipes and MC Hammer. There were the still-aggrieved relatives of the victims of earlier confrontations with people who viewed them as threats: Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, Emmett Till.

And there were flocks of people who drove and flew in from across the country, most of them black but a few of them white, hoping to be part of a day that many believed would be written in the history of race in America.

"A lot of people feel they could be next," said Chris Gray, 29, who came from Minneapolis. "There's a historic possibility here for young people to take ownership of a new civil rights movement."

Sharpton's message to the crowd gathered inside the church, in overflow rooms and outside in the searing heat was that Brown's death must mark the beginning of a change, not only in the justice system but in the role African Americans play in making it happen.

"Nobody is going to help us if we don't help ourselves," said Sharpton, challenging listeners to stop "sitting around having ghetto pity parties."

"We can't have a fit. We've got to have a movement," he bellowed from the pulpit, criticizing protesters who looted stores in demonstrations after Brown's death. "A fit — you get mad and run out for a couple of nights. A movement means we've got to be here for the long haul and turn our chance into change, our demonstration into legislation."

Other speakers in the nearly three-hour service echoed his call, making pointed comments about the need to vote, an issue that is at the heart of the racial imbalance in Ferguson. About 14,000 of the city's 21,000 residents are black, but the City Council and police department are overwhelmingly white. In the last municipal election, voter turnout was 12.3%, a number Sharpton has called "an insult."

It was a message that resonated with the listeners.

"We love you!" they shouted at McSpadden, who stared straight ahead throughout the service, rocking slightly back and forth and clutching a handkerchief.

DeeNa Adair, 41, came to the funeral with her husband and 10-month-old grandson, Zion, after taking part in protests last week in Ferguson.

"If we don't stand up now, what is his future?" she said of Zion. Adair said she had lost a 20-year-old son to gun violence in downtown St. Louis.

"Hopefully … this is what sparks the nation to change, to deal with the racial divide," Adair said.

Martina Primus, 33, of nearby Jennings was there with her 2-year-old and 3-year-old sons.

"I've got these two young boys to look after," she said. "This is a wake-up call for our young black men. I don't want them to be victims."

Mourners came from as far as California and Canada to watch the service, which alternated between being politically stirring, somber and uplifting as a choir belted out gospel songs and women pounded tambourines and shook maracas. Men, women and children, dressed in starched suits and elaborate dresses, swayed in unison, danced and held their hands toward the sky.

For all the cries for an end to racism and equal justice, one thing missing was white faces, which numbered only a handful.

Perhaps that was a reflection of nationwide attitudes toward policing, which were outlined in a survey released Monday by the Pew Research Center and USA Today. The survey, conducted after Brown's killing, found that whites were far more likely than blacks to feel confident that police will treat people of both races equally.

It found that 46% of blacks have "very little" confidence in police to treat blacks and whites equally, compared with 12% of whites.

That distrust was evident among mourners.

"They think because they wear a badge, they hold life in their hands," said Demond Wright, 23, a dishwasher from Ferguson.

"The reality is, this is happening all over the country — the criminalization of young black men, stop and frisk. It's spreading," said Nate Parker, 34, an actor and producer from Pasadena. He flew to Missouri after realizing he had no answer for his 17-year-old nephew, who asked him what he should do if stopped by police.

Parker noted that two days after Brown was shot, a mentally ill black man was shot and killed by police in South Los Angeles.

"The real question is how many days will pass before another unarmed black man is killed?" Parker said.

Nobody has been charged in Brown's death, and it could be mid-October before the grand jury hearing evidence in the case decides whether there is sufficient evidence to indict the officer who shot him, Darren Wilson.

Authorities say Wilson, 28, who has been a police officer for six years, fired in self-defense after Brown attacked him. Some witnesses say Wilson was the aggressor and shot Brown after ordering him to stop walking down the middle of the street where he lived.

Eric Harris, 18, who lives in St. Louis, did not know Brown, but he soaked in Monday's funeral with a keen awareness.

"I'm the same age as him. It could be me," said Harris, who said his interactions with police had been limited because he was "not acting up" in the streets.

"But you don't have to be acting up to be targeted," he said. "You can just be walking home from the store and bang, you're a target."

"Breaking Bad" went out with a bang Monday night, winning a second straight Emmy for drama series for its highly acclaimed final season.

The AMC series had its finale on AMC back in September, when a record 10.3-million viewers tuned in to learn the fate of Walter White, the high-school chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin played by multiple Emmy winner Bryan Cranston. In a remarkable feat for a long-running series, "Breaking Bad" saw its audience grow enormously over its five-season run, morphing from a cult favorite into a mainstream hit.

Created by Vince Gilligan and also starring Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn and Dean Norris, the series prevailed in the increasingly competitive drama category, which included HBO's brooding newcomer "True Detective" as well as returning nominees "Mad Men" (AMC), "House of Cards" (Netflix), "Game of Thrones" (HBO) and "Downton Abbey" (PBS).

This marked the third consecutive year in which the four commercial broadcast networks were shut out of the category.

Though "Breaking Bad" is no more, "Better Call Saul," a spinoff starring Bob Odenkirk as sleazy lawyer Saul Goodman, is scheduled to premiere on AMC in February.

Hosted by Seth Meyers, the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards were held at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

Maria Sharapova followed up a flashy opening night ceremony on center court at the U.S. Open with some flashy tennis of her own Monday.

Sharapova, a five-time major tournament winner, who is seeded No. 5 here, dropped behind in the first set, 4-2. Her opponent was her longtime friend from Russia, Maria Kirilenko, who was one of three players ever to beat Sharapova in her 44 opening-round Grand Slam tournament matches.

That was the last time that happened, in 2010 at the Australian Open, and Sharapova was clearly determined not to have a repeat.

So she merely ran off the next 10 games and won, 6-4, 6-0.

"It's tough to start here in New York City," she said afterward.

She also said that, having missed last year's U.S. Open with an injury, she was happy to be back. She has won all four of the major tournaments at least once and took her U.S. Open title in 2006.

"I missed this court," she said of Arthur Ashe Stadium and its 22,500 seats.

She also said it was tough to play a friend but that she was happy to see Kirilenko back and playing after having gone through a series of injuries.

Kirilenko, once No. 10 in the world and owner of six tour singles titles, has slipped to No. 113.

Murray struggles but wins

The only major player on the men's side to struggle on the first day was Britain's Andy Murray.

Murray battled cramps throughout his match with Robin Haase of the Netherlands and needed four sets to win, 6-3, 7-6 (6), 1-6, 7-5.

Murray, the 2012 U.S. Open champion, is seeded eighth.

On the women's side, No. 2 Simona Halep of Romania had her hands full with a U.S. wild card entrant, Danielle Rose Collins, who won this year's NCAA title for the University of Virginia. In the first match of the tournament on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court, Halep prevailed, 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-2.

Donald Young went out in straight sets to Blaz Kavcic of Slovenia, 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.

Honor roll

The International Tennis Writers announced their annual awards to the most media-friendly tournaments. The Australian Open won in the Grand Slam category for the third consecutive year and the BNP Paribas at Indian Wells won for all other tournaments. The tournament director for the Indian Wells event is Steve Simon.

One day before Arizona's primary election, the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver heard arguments Monday on the constitutionality of voters having to prove citizenship through a passport or birth certificate before they can register to vote.

Arizona and Kansas have both passed laws requiring voters to prove citizenship before they can register. That is stricter than federal law, which requires a voter simply to affirm U.S. citizenship in writing.

On Tuesday, Arizona voters who have not proved their citizenship to the state's satisfaction will be able to cast ballots only for U.S. Congress — not for governor or any other state offices. Kansas held such a two-tier primary earlier this month.

"The Founding Fathers didn't want that," said Kansas Atty. Gen. Kris Kobach, who argued the case for both states. "They are using the federal form as a lever to displace the state's power," he said in an interview after the hearing.

Supporters contend such laws prevent voter fraud. Opponents maintain that the real motivation is to make it more difficult for minorities and the poor to vote.

The case hinges on "a narrow but important issue," said Dan Tokaji, an Ohio State University expert on election law and voting rights. "It's important because if Arizona and Kansas win, we could see a lot more states trying to make it more difficult to register."

Manipulating voter registration has an unsavory history, Tokaji said.

"If you look at the history of voting rights in this country, registration has often been used and manipulated ... to prevent certain groups of people from voting, most notoriously blacks in the South before the [1965] Voting Rights Act," he said.

But Richard Hasen, a professor of law and political science at UC Irvine, calls noncitizen voting "not a phantom problem," as Democrats often describe it. "But the number of noncitizens registered and voting is small.... The question is, how large a problem is it, and is it worth taking the risk of disenfranchising voters" who can't easily prove citizenship.

The case before the 10th Circuit comes from Wichita, where U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren ruled this year that the federal Election Assistance Commission must amend federal voting registration forms to conform with state rules.

The commission had rejected the states' request, noting that it had no commissioners because of Congress' political gridlock. Melgren ordered the commission to decide, then overruled its decision.

One of the three appellate judges hearing the appeal, Carlos Lucero, appeared hesitant about forcing a commissioner-less commission to act.

"Where in the record do we find sub-delegation?" he asked. Could a court clerk render judicial decisions if there were no judges on the bench, Lucero wondered.

Judge Jerome Holmes asked whether the matter was really a constitutional question. He told Kobach that no one was telling states they could not impose voter restrictions.

Lucero seemed irritated that what he sees as a wholly political issue had landed in his court. "All of a sudden the courts are asked to step into inherently political questions and make political decisions," he said.

Kobach has asked that the matter be fast-tracked because of the November general election.

But Arizona elections officials say they have little hope that the issue will be settled before November's midterm election. Even if the 10th Circuit renders its decision before then, its ruling almost certainly will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Pima County Chief Deputy Recorder Chris Roads said he was concerned that confusion surrounding the citizenship requirement may further alienate the electorate as voter registration drives intensify.

The proof of citizenship aspect of voting in Arizona hasn't been settled by the courts for about a decade, which has led to rule changes in nearly every election, Roads said.

Some voter drives persuade people to register by telling them that all they have to do is show up and cast a ballot, he said. When it turns out to be more complicated, "It just ends up alienating that voter."

In practical terms, however, Kansas and Arizona registration limits have had little effect.

For Kansas' Aug. 5 primary, just 180 voters had registered as "federal only" out of 1.76 million registered voters, Kobach said, and only one person in that "federal only" group actually cast a ballot.

In Arizona, fewer than 1,000 of its more than 3.2 million voters had registered for a federal ballot because they could not meet the state's requirement, Secretary of State Ken Bennett said.

State efforts to tighten voting requirements have picked up steam since the 2010 midterm election, when Republicans boosted their clout in several statehouses. More than 20 states have adopted voter restrictions in the last few years, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a policy and law institute at New York University.

Voting rights and access to the polls became a new front in the partisan fight between Democrats and Republicans after the fiercely disputed 2000 presidential campaign, in which an effective tie in Florida led to a decisive U.S. Supreme Court decision that put Republican George W. Bush in the White House.

cindy.carcamo@latimes.com

mark.barabak@latimes.com

@thecindycarcamo

@markzbarabak

Carcamo reported from Tucson, Deam from Denver and Barabak from San Francisco.

Written By kolimtiga on Senin, 25 Agustus 2014 | 12.56

America's Next Top Model The contestants face a challenge in a Los Angeles subway station where they have to evoke different seasons within a concentrated period of time. That's followed by a nighttime photo shoot at the beach. 9 p.m. KTLA

Top Gear: Cars of the People The season premiere of this auto-oriented series takes a historical look at how dictators jump-started the popularity of the automobile which led to the mobilization of the masses. 9 p.m. BBC America

Brain Games The current season wraps up with a new episode devoted to "Intuition." 9 p.m. Nat Geo

Dallas Gloom continues to hang over Southfork as news of a family death arrives. AnnaLynne McCord, Jesse Metcalfe, Josh Henderson, Julie Gonzalo and Jordana Brewster star in this new episode. 9 p.m. TNT

Under the Dome Barbie (Mike Vogel) is held prisoner by captors who have lots of questions for him in this new episode. 10 p.m. CBS

Eating America With Anthony Anderson This new episode is in Chicago for the city's annual Ribfest. 10:30 p.m. Food

SPECIALS

The 66th Primetime Emmy Awards Seth Meyers hosts the ceremonies from the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live. "Game of Thrones" leads the pack with 19 Emmy nominations, followed by "Fargo" (18); "American Horror Story: Coven" (17); "Breaking Bad" and "The Normal Heart" each with 16.Airing live and rebroadcast in primetime. 5 and 8 p.m. NBC (Red carpet coverage begins at 3 p.m. on KTLA and at 4:30 on NBC and E!).

Olbermann Presents Pete Rose: 25 Years in Exile On the 25th anniversary of Pete Rose's ban from baseball for life, this new special recalls the career of Baseball's all-time hit leader and the investigation for gambling on games. Host Keith Olbermann explains how his position evolved from originally supporting the lifetime ban to believing Rose should be reinstated. 7 p.m. ESPN; 8 and 10 p.m. ESPN2

On a picturesque, weather-perfect Sunday afternoon at Del Mar, with a crowd of 28,290 roaring its approval, unbeaten Shared Belief proved he might be horse racing's next big star, accelerating when jockey Mike Smith asked on the final turn and pulling away down the stretch to win the $1-million Pacific Classic by 2 3/4 lengths over Toast Of New York.

It was the sixth victory for Shared Belief, last year's 2-year-old champion who missed this year's Triple Crown races while recovering from foot problems. But he's healthy and headed for the $5-million Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 1 at Santa Anita and a possible showdown against Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome.

"What a great thing for racing," Smith said. "It's going to be incredible."

Smith, who turned 49 this month, won four races Sunday and picked up his eighth stakes win. He said he trained nearly as hard as Shared Belief, running for three miles on a treadmill and saying "no" to wine. His sacrifice was worth it.

"He's a special horse," Smith said of the gelding. "I heard someone say this might be the coming out of a superstar. I think now this horse deserves that accolade."

It wasn't just 3-year-olds Shared Belief defeated in finishing the 1 1/4 miles in 2:00.28. It was his first test against top older horses, and he had to run down the $6.4-million career earnings veteran Game On Dude, who opened a 3 1/2-length lead going into the final turn. Smith had been the regular rider for Game On Dude and knew what the 7-year-old was capable of.

"I've been on him when he's run extremely fast and kept on running, but I felt very confident I had horse," he said. "It was a matter did I have enough when I asked him."

Shared Belief bounced off the starting gate to start the race, leaving Smith farther back than he had planned, settling in fourth position. Though Game On Dude was able to put away Mystery Train in the early going, that speed duel cost Game On Dude, who faded to fourth.

Smith praised trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, who got Shared Belief into shape to win at 1 1/4 miles in only his third start of 2014.

"When you have horses run in these big races, everybody wants to dissect them and be critical," Hollendorfer said. "What people were wondering was, could he come down to Del Mar and handle the mile and a quarter? He answered that question. There'll be other horses and other races in the future, and we'll be under the microscope again."

Co-owner Jim Rome, who's been known to get a little excited on his national radio program, said of his racing experience, "The whole thing is so surreal to me. I keep getting the question, 'This is easy, right?' We all know it's the hardest thing in the world."

Shared Belief is in position to earn a $1 million bonus that was offered as part of the Bolton Challenge if a horse could sweep the Los Alamitos Derby, the Pacific Classic and the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Smith also won the $250,000 Del Mar Mile, guiding Tom's Tribute to victory. In the $250,00 Pat O'Brien Stakes, Goldencents set a track record, going seven furlongs in 1:20.99.

For nearly 21 months after James Foley's capture in Syria in late 2012, his family held out hope for his safe return, keeping faith that they would never see a day like Sunday, with a Mass in his memory.

After all, the courageous photojournalist seemed to have nine lives as he reported from the most dangerous conflict zones around the world, his parents recalled last week. Once before, he had made it home safely: from Libya after being held in captivity there for 44 days.

But Foley's brutal killing by Islamic State militants in a beheading that was released on video last week brought his family, friends and neighbors together here in his hometown for a Roman Catholic Mass of healing, hope and peace.

As the close-knit parish tried to come to terms with what happened, the central theme of Sunday's service was forgiveness — even for Foley's captors.

Every seat was filled for the Sunday afternoon service at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Rochester. Foley's parents, Diane and John Foley, sat side by side in one of the first pews. Many parishioners stood, filling the long side aisles to the candlelit altar.

On their way in, mourners passed large black-and-white photographs of the journalist, wearing his ever-present sunglasses and training his camera on war-torn streets of Libya and Syria. Some people clutched cards bearing his image above the Prayer of St. Francis.

In his homily, the bishop of Manchester, the Most Rev. Peter A. Libasci, urged mourners to focus on the verses: "Lord make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon."

Libasci asked the congregation to remember that Foley lived his life in St. Francis' example.

Some mourners wept as Libasci emphasized the prayer's final lines: "It is in pardoning that we are pardoned and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."

Libasci noted that many close to Foley may be doubting their faith at this moment. He urged them to remember Foley's "gifts to the world" as a journalist and spoke of his death as a sacrifice to that mission.

"In a special way today, we are challenged to be mindful of needs of others," Libasci said. "We are challenged to be true to our faith, especially when most challenged to doubt. We are challenged to see the world through a different lens. To hear the world's voice as the voices of individuals, people, children, mothers, fathers. We are challenged to hear the cries that are a world away."

Foley's desire to shed light on the suffering of war-torn regions should inspire others to "live bravely, and with passion, the life of a true child of God," he said.

"Jim went back again [to Syria] so that we might open our eyes," Libasci said. He prayed for peace for Foley and "this fragile world."

Offering words of comfort to Foley's mother and father, Libasci reminded them of the blessings they received at James Foley's baptism, and how the priest had prayed at that time that they would "see hope of eternal life shine on this child."

"Rarely do we recall those words, but I bring them to mind for you, as they are more poignant and prophetic," he said.

Then Diane and John Foley stood briefly at the front of the church and thanked the members of the congregation for their support and prayers.

"Thank you for loving Jim," Diane Foley said. Everyone in the audience rose and met them with sustained applause.

At the end of the service, the congregation also prayed for the remaining hostages in the region, including Foley's fellow captive Steven Sotloff — who was threatened on the video of Foley's slaying — and "those in unjust captivity around the world." They also prayed for Foley's "legacy of love" to continue.

Earlier Sunday, the British ambassador to the United States told NBC's "Meet the Press" that intelligence officials were closing in on the identity of the militant with the British accent who killed Foley. "We're not in a position to say exactly who this is," Peter Westmacott said. "I think we are close."

Foley's family and friends plan a more formal funeral on his birthday, Oct. 18, in part to give his friends from around the world the opportunity to attend. Foley's parents spoke at length to reporters during a news conference last week, but declined interviews Sunday. None of his friends or family members gave formal remarks during the traditional Catholic Mass.

Mourners waited in a long line after the service to speak with Diane and John Foley, who greeted them with smiles and hugs.

"They've been a profile in courage," said James Page, a family friend from Deerfield, N.H. "I think his family could probably forgive the killer, which is hard to believe, but I think they're that sort of people. If it meant forgiveness to bring people together, they would be the first ones to do that."

Kassandra Belcher of Milton, who cut James Foley's hair throughout his life, said the service had reflected the spirit of a "very faithful, prayerful, community-oriented" family and helped begin the healing process.

"A lot of us have been reading from the Bible and just trying to get our strength to go on as a community," Belcher said.

At times, Foley's father seemed to be the one comforting those who came to greet him. "Jimmy is free now," John Foley told one couple with a smile. "He's at peace."